Coin controlled lock



Jan. 18, 1966 w. F. STACKHOUSE 3,229,797

COIN CONTROLLED LOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 15, 1963 FIGI INVENTOR.

WELLS F. STACKHOUSE FIG. 4 m, WM

ATTORNEYS 1966 w. F. STACKHOUSE 3,229,797

COIN CONTROLLED LOCK Filed Oct. 15, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 |'Hlllllllllllllll-lllllllllll ll llllllllllllll-lll!lllllll INVEN TOR.

WELLS F. STACKHOUSE Wm+ WW ATTORNEYS FIG.8 B

United States Patent M 3,229,797 COIN CONTROLLED LOCK Wells F. Stacklrouse, Andover, Mass., assignor to American Locker Company, Inc., Boston, Mass, 21 corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 316,376 9 Claims. (Cl. 194-1) The present invention relates generally to coin controlled locks and more particularly is directed towards improvements in coin controlled and key operated locks of the sort employed in parcel checking cabinets and the like, wherein a lock is commonly employed with each cabinet, each lock being mounted to the cabinet frame and in a position to cooperate with a cabinet door.

Proprietors of public checking locker facilities have encountered considerable harrassment by persons who try to operate the coin controlled lock without depositing the specified coin or coins. One technique has been to attach a thread to a coin so that the coin may be retrieved after it has been dropped into the lock and the lock actuated. Another technique has been to jam the lock into a free-wheeling condition with a wad of paper or other material.

In addition to these mischievous acts there are practices by the public which are unintentional and which have caused jamming of the locks. For example, a person will occasionally insert too many coins into the lock and the extra coins may cause a malfunctioning of the lock mechanism. Also, coins of the wrong denomination may be inserted inadvertently by the customer. While various measures have been taken to protect the lock against intentional and unintentional jamming these measures have not been entirely satisfactory against such practices as attaching a thread to a coin in order to retrieve it after the lock has been operated or against the feeding of an excess number of coins into the lock.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improvements in coin-controlled locks.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tamper proof coin controlled and key operated lock mechanism.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a coin-operated lock that is protected from jamming by excess coins, wads of paper, or other similar materials.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved safety latch mechanism for preventing the door locking bolt from being moved into locking position until the cabinet door is closed.

More particularly, this invention features a coin-controlled and key-operated lock mechanism employing a coin-operated gate adapted in one position to direct a predetermined number of coins into a coin-gauging station and in another position permitting surplus coins to pass by the coin-gauging station into a coin return chute. As another feature of this invention, the lock is provided with a relatively long and deep coin passage with the coin gauging station being offset so that deposited coins must be diverted by at least two angles in the coin channel when being fed into the gauging station. A latch safety mechanism of simplified and improved construction is a further feature of this invention.

But these and other features of the invention, along with further objects and advantages thereof, will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation of a coin-controlled lock made according tothe invention, and showing portions of a checking locker,

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the lock,

3,229,797 Patented Jan. 18, 1966 FIG. 3 is an elevation showing the opposite side of the lock.

FIG. 4 is a view in rear elevation,

FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are detail views in rear elevation showing the operation of the coin gate and deflector, and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are detail views in front elevation illustrating the operation of the coin-release mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a detail view showing the new safety latch I mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings, reference character 10 generally indicates a coin-controlled and key-operated locking unit mounted in a parcel checking cabinet '12. The locking unit is of the type shown in US. Patent 2,437,742. Typically, with this type of lock and locker arrangement, when the checking cabinet is not in use, the lock is in an unlocked position and the cabinet door can be opened for depositing parcels, luggage and the like in the cabinet. The depositing of the proper coin or coins in the lock functions to permit the key to be rotated to the door locking position and thereafter to be removed and taken by the patron as his check.

The locking unit comprises a frame 14 to the front face of which is secured a front plate 16 by four bolts 18. The front plate is disposed over and fills an opening through the cabinet wall, the lower end of the plate be ing provided with a lip 19 engaging behind the cabinet wall and the upper end being equipped with a lock 20 having a locking bolt 21 for engaging behind the cabinet wall thereby securing the unit in place in the cabinet.

The unit also carries a lock 22 having a key 23 and a cooperating bolt 24 for engaging and locking the cabinet door 25 in closed position. A counter 26 is operated by the lock 22 and is adapted to record each actuating cycle of the lock. The lock barrels 20 and 22 are readily removable for replacement of the locks from time to time as is necessary in the normal course of servicing the locks.

A slit opening 28 is formed in the front face of the plate 16 near the upper left-hand side thereof as viewed in FIG. 1. This opening is for the deposit of the required coins and the opening communicates with -a coin chute 30 which is formed by a partition 32 mounted on the frame 14 and a wall of a channel formed in the cabinet into which the lock is mounted. A portion of the channel wall is shown in outline form in FIG. 4 and is indicated by the reference character 34. When the lock unit is mounted to the cabinet the wall 34 overlaps a panel 36 which extends rearwardly from plate 16. The partition 32, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 is formed with a bafl'le 38 to guide the coins over the bolt 24 and against a gate 40 when the gate is in the open position shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

Located directly below the lock barrel 22 and offset from the upper portion of the coin chute 30 is a coingauging station 42 into which one or more coins are deflected by means of the gate 40. Coins which are not deflected into the gauging station by the gate 40 drop vertically down the chute and out a coin-return slot (not shown).

The gate 40 is a generally wedge-shaped device having a coin-engaging face 44 and pivotally mounted to a horizontal pin 46 fixed to the frame 14. The gate is biased in a normally clockwise or open position by means of a light spring 48 connected to the lower end of the gate and to the frame 14. As best shown in FIG. 5, the lower portion of the face 44 extends int-o the coin-gauging station 42 almost into contact with a wall 50 forming a part of the frame 14. The gate 40 is provided with an integral tab 52 adapted to engage a coin-retaining finger 54 which is formed integrally with and extending upward- 'ly from a coin deflector 56.

V The coin deflector 56 is pivotally mounted to a pin 58 extending diagonally between a pair of spaced cars 60 and 62 formed in a bracket 64 mounted to the lower portion of the frame 14. The deflector is provided with a lower lip 66 which is adapted to pass through an opening 68 formed in a wall of the bracket 64 and extend across the lower portion of the coin gauging station 42. As shown, the coin gauging station is normally open at its bottom to permit coins of a size smaller than required to pass freely out through the bottom of the locking unit into a coin return chute (not shown). A leaf spring 70 is mounted to the bracket 64, and has its free end engaging the deflector to bias the deflector into the normally open position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The movement of the coin deflector 56 is controlled by operation of the lock 22. The lock 22 is operatively conne-cted to a feeler 72 which enters into the gauging station 42 as the key is turned in the lock 22. If there is no coin in the gauging station or if there is an insuflicient number of coins in a multi-coin unit, the feeler 72 will prevent the lock 22 from making a complete turn. On the other hand, if the proper coinage is present in the gauging station, the feeler 72 will release the lock 22 to permit a complete turning thereof. Further details in the construction and operation of the feeler mechanism are disclosed in US. Patent 3,023,875.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the bolt 24 is mounted to the front face of the lock barrel 22 and is profiled to engage a pivoted lug 74. When the bolt 24 is in a locking position as shown in FIG. 9, the lug is biased counterclockwise to engage an extension arm 76 which is formed integral with the deflector 56, as shown in FIG. 2. It will be understood that when the bolt is in a locking position, the deflector 56 will be biased into a closed position so that coins dropping down from the gauging station will strike the lip 66 and roll out through the back of the locking unit into a cash box located below. When the lock is returned to unlocked position, the bolt is rotated into the position shown in FIG. 10. The lug 74 will be biased clockwise out of contact with the arm 76 to permit the deflector 56 to return to a normally open posit-ion.

The finger 54 on the coin deflector 56, as shown in FIG. 7, engages the marginal edge of the coin or coins deflected into the gauging station and holds the coins in a fixed position during the coin gauging operation. In the gauging step, the feeler 72 is moved into contact with coins during the initial turning of the key in the lock 22. Assuming the feeler has determined that the proper coin or coins are present in the gauging station the lock 22 may be turned completely. This will result in pivoting of the deflector 56 so that the finger 54 will release the coins which will drop down against the lip 66. As mentioned above, when the deflect-or 56 is pivoted, the lip 66 will move through the opening 68 as shown in FIG. 8,

When the deflector is in the closed position of FIG. 8, it will be seen that the right hand portion of the finger 54 engages the gate tab 52 to hold the gate in the closed position while the bolt 24 is in a locking position. It will be appreciated that the correct coinage in the gauging station will close the gate and during the gauging operation the coins themselves hold the gate in a closed position to prevent the entry of additional coins. However, after the coins have been gauged and released, it is necessary to keep the gate closed while the lock is in a locked position. Thus a patron is prevented from losing coins inadvertently deposited in a locker cabinet already in use. Any coins admitted while the locker is in use will pass by the gate 40 and drop vertically down and out through a coin return chute.

In view of the fact that the coin gauging station is offset from the vertical coin chute and also by reason of the cooperating gate, it is virtually impossible for any coin to be retrieved by means of an attached thread, or the like, back through the coin slot 28. Also it will be appreciated that the location of the coin gauging station in conjunction with the slot configuration makes it substantially impossible for the lock to be jammed into a free wheeling condition by a wad of paper, or the like.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2, 10, 11 there is shown a new safety latch mechanism of the type shown in US. Patent No. 2,926,946. The latch mechanism includes a plunger portion 78 which normally extends out through the lower face of the plate 16, as shown in FIG. 2. The plunger 78 is formed with an annular shoulder 80 which restrains a coil spring 82 between a frame element 84. Attached to the end of the plunger 78 and on the opposite side of the frame element 84 is an elongated leaf spring 86, the opposing end of which engages the inner end of an abutment latch pin 88. The pin 88 passes slidingly through the frame 14 and engages with an indent 90 formed in the rear face of the bolt 24.

Occasionally a patron inadvertently turns the lock 22 to the cabinet locking position before fully closing the door 12 and in such case the patron loses his coin into the cash box when the lock is locked in the cabinet door open position. The patron to check properly must again turn the key counter-clockwise to unlock the lock, and then insert another coin in the lock and repeat the operation being sure all the while that the door is in a closed position. To eliminate this trouble, the lock is provided with the pin 88 in a position to engage with the indent 90 when the lock is then in its unlocked position. It will be understood that neither the key nor the bolt can be moved to an unlocked position until the cabinet door has been closed. A tab 92 is provided on the cabinet door 25 to press in the plunger 78 upon closing of the door. The pressure of the plunger 78 will serve to release the pin 88 from the indent 90, thereby freeing the lock 22 for a locking cycle.

The construction of the safety latch mechanism is extremely simple, is entirely eflicient, durable and toolproof. The employment of a flat leaf spring between the pin and the plunger permits a certain amount of resilience between the two elements in the event that a door is slammed against the plunger while placing pressure on the latch pin through turning pressure on the key. This construction permits independent rearward movement of the plunger when abnormal resistance is applied to the rearward movement of the pin.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to the illustrated embodiment, it will be understood that numerous modifications thereto will appear to those skilled in the art. For example, the gauging station may be made to accommodate one or a num-* ber of coins by merely varying the dimensions of the station with appropriate adjustment of the feeler and the coin holding mechanism. Also coins of various denominations may be readily accommodated by modifying the dimensions of the unit.

Accordingly, it will be understood that the above description and accompanying drawings should be taken as illustrative of the invention and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a coin controlled mechanism, a lock having a bolt for locking a door in a closed position, means mounting the bolt for movement to door locking and unlocking positions, means providing a coin slot and a coin passage in said lock, a coin gauging station ofiset from and normally communicating with said coin passage, a gate movably mounted to said lock and normally extending across said coin passage to deflect coins passing therealong into said gauging station, a predetermined number of coins received within said gauging station being adapted to move said gate out of a coin deflecting position whereby additional deposited coins will bypass said gauging station and coin detecting means operatively connected to said lock and responsive to the presence of a predetermined number of coins in said station, said coin detecting means preventing operation of said lock until said predetrmined number of coins is present in said station.

2. A coin controlled mechanism according to claim 1 wherein said coin passage extends vertically downwards from said coin slot and said gauging station is disposed in spaced parallel relation to said passage,

3. In a coin controlled mechanism, a lock having a bolt for locking a door in a closed position, means mounting the bolt for movement to door locking and unlocking positions, means providing a coin slot, a coin passage in said lock, a coin gauging station apart from and communicating with said coin passage, said gauging station being located below said coin slot and oflset from said passage whereby a deposited coin must undergo at least one change of direction before reaching said gauging station and coin detecting means operatively connected to said lock and responsive to a predetermined number of coins in said station, said coin detecting means preventing operation of said lock until said predetermined number of coins is present in said station.

4. In a coin controlled mechanism, a lock having a bolt for locking a door in a closed position, means mounting the bolt for movement to door locking and unlocking positions, means providing a coin slot and a coin passage in said lock, a coin gauging station offset from and normally communicating with said coin passage, a gate movably mounted to said lock and normally extending across said coin passage to direct coins passing therealong into said gauging station, a predetermined number of coins received within said gauging station being adapted to move said gate out of a coin directing position whereby additional deposited coins will bypass said gauging station, a coin deflector movably mounted at said gauging station, said deflector in one position being adapted to restrain said coins during gauging thereof and in another position releasing said coins and changing their normal direction of movement and coin detecting means operatively connected to said lock and responsive to a predetermined number of coins in said station, said coin detecting means preventing operation of said lock until said predetermined number of coins is present in said station.

5. A coin controlled mechanism according to claim 4 wherein said coin deflector in said other position engages said gate to hold said gate out of a coin directing position.

6. In a coin-controlled mechanism, a lock having a bolt for locking a door in a closed position, means mounting the bolt for movement to door locking and unlocking positions, means providing a coin slot and a vertical coin passage in said look, a coin gauging station offset from and normally communicating with said coin passage, a gate pivotally mounted to said lock and normally having one end thereof extending across said coin passage to deflect coins passing therealong into said gauging station, a predetermined number of coins received within said gauging station being adapted to bear against the opposite end of said gate to bias said one end of the gate out of a coin deflecting position whereby additional deposited coins will bypass said gauging station and coin detecting means operatively connected to said lock and responsive to a predetermined number of coins in said station, said coin detecting means preventing operation of said lock until said predetermined number of coins is present in said station.

7. A coin-controlled mechanism according to claim 6 including a coin deflecting member pivotally mounted to said lock at said gauging station, said member having a coin engaging portion adapted in one position of said member to restrain said coins in said station and to release said coins in another position thereof, said member being formed with a coin deflecting portion adapted to move into the path of said coins when said member is in said other position.

8. A coin-controlled mechanism according to claim 7 wherein said member is formed with a gate-engaging portion adapted to hold said gate out of a coin deflecting position when said member is moved into said other position.

9. A coin-controlled mechanism according to claim 6 wherein said gate is pivoted between said passage and said station and is adapted to substantially close oif said station when biased out of a coin deflecting position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,489,588 4/1924 Billings 292--33 3 2,260,950 10/ 1941 McCarroll et a1 19492 2,649,949 8 195 3 Stackhouse 194-92 2,684,194 7/1954 Beimel 194-92 2,926,946 3 1960 Stackhouse 292-3 33 3,106,924 10/ 1963 Peacock 1335 SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM, A LOCK HAVING A BOLT FOR LOCKING A DOOR IN A CLOSED POSITION, MEANS MOUNTING THE BOLT FOR MOVEMENT TO DOOR LOCKING AND UNLOCKING POSITIONS, MEANS PROVIDING A COIN SLOT AND A COIN PASSAGE IN SAID LOCK, A COIN GUAGING STATION OFFSET FROM AND NORMALLY COMMUNICATING WITH SAID COIN PASSAGE, A GATE MOVABLY MOUNTED TO SAID LOCK AND NORMALLY EXTENDING ACROSS SAID COIN PASSAGE TO DEFLECT COINS PASSING THEREALONG INTO SAID GAUGING STATION, A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF COINS 